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# History of the Order of Hermes

#### by Mark D F Shirley

The copyright of this article remains with the original author. Articles may be copied or distributed freely for personal non-profit use, provided that the author is properly credited.

Note: This history differs significantly from that laid out in `official' sources for Ars Magica. Some of the material was taken in part from The Order of Hermes and The Wizard's Grimoire (both copyrighted by Atlas Games) and some of it sprang from ideas generated by postings to the Ars Magica Mailing List. The majority of it, however, is original.

## Ancient Origins

The Order of Hermes was founded chiefly by wizards who had descended from the Roman Cult of Mercury, which in turn took its wisdom and knowledge of the mystic powers from the Greek cult of Hermes. The Seekers of the lineage of Arteman, a group of Magi who investigate the past in search for the origins of magic, believe that these ancient Greek wizards had some contact with those beings known to the Greeks as gods. Evidence of wizards in ancient Egypt and still more ancient Babylon suggests that even the cult of Hermes was a descendent of a previous order from the early history of the Mediterranean cultures. Again, these Egyptian and Babylonian sorcerers, say the Seekers, had contact with what commoners called gods who taught them the basic elements of a theory of magic. Any history as to the origins of Babylonian and Egyptian Magi, however, is purely legend. The Seekers call this 'history' the legend of the Old Ones. Recent contact with Persian wizards reveals that they have a more ancient record of the history of magic, but as yet are unwilling to share it.

The history of the Order of Hermes, for most Magi, begins in Rome.

## The Roman Cult of Mercury

Among the foremost priesthoods in Rome before the Empire was that of the Temple of Mercury. This priesthood used its powerful ritual magic to help defend Rome from its worst enemies and to protect her conquering armies as they united the Mediterranean world. The great secret of the Mercurian priesthood, however, was that they were not dedicated to the pagan god Mercury, but to the power of magic that could be found throughout the world. Centuries of patronage by the wealthy of Rome allowed them to delve deeply into the mysteries of magic, gathering knowledge from every corner of the Empire and hoarding it in their temples. In the second century BC, the high priest Plentarch of the Pompeii temple codified the rituals of the cult of Mercury into thirty-eight spells, each of which had to be studied separately. Most of these spells were elaborate rituals that required scores of wizards who were tightly bound to each other by training and purpose - the more that were gathered, the more powerful was the spell. The tomes that described these spells, however, have long been lost. With the coming of the Empire, trouble came to the Mercurian priesthood. Infighting and jealousy of the relative standing of various temples with the emperor began to fragment the Mercurians. Soon, the emperors themselves became fearful of the power wielded by these Mercurian priests, and their agents contributed to the disunity within the order. By the middle of the second century, no two temples were on speaking terms, and some temples overtly threatened and attacked others, looting their precious stores of knowledge and wealth. The emperor Septimus Severus finally declared the Temple of Mercury outlaw, revealing that its priests did not offer worship to the pagan gods or to the divine emperors. Throughout the empire, Mercurian priests hid from the legions, seeking places of power far from human habitation and taking their knowledge of magical power with them.

## The Time of Darkness

For centuries, the remnants of the Mercurian priesthood hid their presence, burying themselves in the study of their arts. Their contact with the mundane world was rare, for basic necessities and apprentices were all that most required. When a magus learned of rumours of a wizard or a magical place, he would go prepared for a struggle - and when two magi met, there was invariably a violent confrontation leaving at least one dead.

The Germanic tribes brought their own magicians when they came to the West, and the fearful Mercurians would often turn their powers on these newcomers in the hope of learning some new insight into the workings of magic. The remnants of the Celtic magical orders also contended for survival in a world dominated first by the Romans and later by the growing influence of Christianity. Other scattered magical practices hid in the deep forests, high mountains and uninhabited swamps of Europe. This was a time of violence, when most magi considered all others fair game, and suspicion was the order of the day. Few wizards were willing to speak peacefully with others or to share their knowledge with any but trusted apprentices, and the unscrupulous took advantage of those few in dialogues that usually ended with the death of unwary.

The turmoil in Europe matched the turmoil among its wizards, and many wizards found themselves caught up in it. A tragic few tried to stop the tide of Germans flowing into Europe, only to find that their power alone was no match for the new magic of the tribes or the treachery of their fellow Romans. Some magi became court wizards for mundane lords, but most of these were either eventually driven out by their fearful erstwhile patrons or sought out and slain by greedy wizards from the fringes of civilisation. The barbarian invasions of the British Isles saw the mixing of many different magical traditions and left the islands a patchwork of suspicious wizards

Prior to the Founding of the Order of Hermes, there were few organisations of wizards. The Cult of Mercury had foundered many centuries ago, and since then, only ephemeral and uneasy alliances had formed. Then, in the seventh century, the Muslims became a threat which led to unity among the magi much as it did among the disparate mundane nations. The Muslim invasion which swept through the Iberian peninsula swallowed up some wizards of renown, forcing even the most self-centred and suspicious of magi to take notice. An uneasy alliance was formed among the wizards of the Pyrenees, and magi used their arts to aid the Franks in turning back the inexorable Muslim advance. It is said that similar alliances took place in the East, among the magi of the Byzantine Empire, but little is recorded of those efforts.

One Maga from the Camargue region observed and assisted this alliance of wizards, and felt that such a truce among wizards would be necessary if the study of the Arts of Magic were ever to advance toward its potentials.

In 731AD, this maga, Trianoma, took this vision to the home of Bonisagus, a brilliant wizard and a great magical theoretician who lived in the Burgundian Alps, and she convinced him to work with her to develop ways in which magi could live with one another in mutual trust. Trianoma had spoken with those magi of the Pyrenees Alliance who she thought would see the advantages of peace, and prevailed upon the sorcerer Carpandus to share his knowledge of wards and magical barriers. The three of them developed the Parma Magica, a magical shield that, in combination with attunement to the magical Arts, would protect its bearer from attack. Wedded to the new, flexible codification of magic on which Bonisagus had spent his life working, this discovery allowed a well prepared magus to feel safe among other powerful wizards. Trianoma and Carpandus demonstrated these discoveries to several other magi of the region and persuaded many of them that an Order of magi would be possible.

## The Order of Hermes

### 767AD / 906th Year of Pisces: The Founding of the Order of Hermes

On February 21st, 12 magi came together at Durenmar in the Burgundian Alps and swore to the Code of Hermes. For months before this concord, they had wrangled and argued over the composition of the Code, until all were satisfied. Included among them were those who owed their magical knowledge to the Mercurian priesthood, but there were also some with Germanic or Celtic traditions as their roots. Two Magi were missing from the swearing of the Code, though had been there in the preliminary stages. Carpandus, whose work was so important to the possibility of a unified Order, had died in the previous year. The other was Tremere. The Concord of Durenmar saw the birth of the Order of Hermes. The 12 Magi that were present became the Founders of the Order.

- Bjornaer - the child of a shaman and a shapeshifter, this Germanic wizard was cursed and abandoned to die by her clan. However, inheriting the gifts from both her parents in full strength gave her the ability to survive. Her magic prior to the Founding of the Order was alrgely self-taught. Many of the other Founders looked down upon her and her powers, but Bonisagus was eager to incorporate her magic, since her different approach to magic promised to teach him much. She studied with Merinita to learn Latin and the basics of Hermetic Magic, but was never able to get more than a spark when it came to Ignem magic.

- Bonisagus - Bonisagus was the brilliant but reclusive Magus that brought together disparate traditions of magic into a form learnable by all. He also created the parma magica with a sorcerer called Carpandus, so that wizards could meet without fear of attack. He liked the idea of a union of wizards suggested by Trianoma for he was not fond of the warfare that often raged between wizards before the founding. He was a gentle man, and had a reputation for being harmless and extremely honourable.

- Criamon - The non-latinised version of this Arabic wizard's name was Qahir'amon. There was a lot of discussion about his eligibility to join the Order, because of his non-Christian roots, especially as many of the Founders had fought the Moors. Trianoma was keen for him to join, for she could see that the strength of the Order was in diversification. He actually had little to do with the founding of the Order, though he saw it as a positive step because once it was founded he would no longer fear the intrusions of other Magi. He was instrumental in getting the Code to recognise the importance of a magus's privacy. Fears about a heathen in the Order were lessened when Qahir'amin revealed that he had abandoned both Allah and his people in favour of using his magic as a pathway to the Enigma, a concept that to the other Founders was a difficult concept to comprehend, but from his writings sometimes seemed to be a universal principle, sometimes a metaphor for human thought, and sometimes a deity.

- Diedne - an Irish druid, and a friend of Merinita, Diedne taught Bonisagus the use of spontaneous magic, though she was incapable of casting a formulaic spell. Her House began as one of the largest, for she persuaded many of her fellow druids to join the Order. In the early days of the Order, this House consisted of mainly British, Welsh and Breton druids, for Diedne's Irish counterparts disapproved of the Order, as the druids of Ireland were teachers in their tribes, they chafed under the "non-interference with mundanes" clause of the Code, and many refused to join. These druids were protected by their Hermetic brethren.

- Flambeau - an Iberian noble by birth, his family lost battle after battle to the Muslims, retreating further and further north. His master took him from this violent background and taught him magic. Both of them fought along side the Christian nobility against the Moors, but to no avail. Flambeau's master was an expert in the art of destruction, but Flambeau studied and mastered the art of fire. His fighting style was flexible and brilliant, alternately using columns of flame to distract his opponents and removing them from their horses without a sound. He gathered around him a group of other wizards - not always willingly - to form a military unit to use against the hated Moors, thus he was the 'leader' of the Pyrenean Alliance. When Trianoma came to him he was sceptical, not wanting his freedom restricted. When the Order seemed more likely to form, with or without him, his attitude changed. He insisted on Magi having the right to use violence if necessary, thus the advent of Wizard's War. He was probably the most magically powerful of the Founders.

- Guernicus - when the Order was being founded, the Magus Guernicus showed the greatest scepticism that Magi could work together and would allow themselves to be governed by the Code, having seen the infighting that occured in the Pyrenean Alliance. He estimated the lifespan of the Order would be 'three-score years and ten, or a bit longer thanks to potions of longevity.' Trianoma finally grew weary of his scepticism and never-ending wise-cracks and asked him what provisions the Order would need to survive. Guernicus said that the Order would need a Magus whose sole duty would be to police the other wizards, keep the peace, and enforce the Code. At Trianoma's suggestion, Guernicus took this role, abandoning his former Terram magics for those of Intellego. Guernicus was a gadfly in his role as judge and many accused him of looking for disputes in an effort to prove that the Order could not stand. While he often used his position to ridicule other Magi, it was thanks to his fierce challenges and insistence on regulation, however, that the Peripheral Code was formed.

- Jerbiton - a noble by birth, a member of an old Roman patrician family that had survived into the Dark Ages as a clan of land-holding nobles. His family cultivated in him a fine taste for music and other arts, so he felt isolated and distraught when he was taken from home and made an apprentice. Once a full wizard and free to travel, he spent his early years visiting city after city, steeping himself in whatever arts he could find in that dark time. Eventually, he even reunited himself with his family. When he heard that an Order of wizards was forming, he was excited for he felt that only by cooperating in peace could Magi themselves develop traditions of art and philosophy based on their magical arts. After the founding he became disillusioned when he saw that the others were not interested in the pursuit of art, but only the pursuit of power. He taught his followers that they were more 'noble' than the others, and this feeling of superiority persists to this day.

- Mercere - a French Magus who was very enthusiastic about the Order, and visited many of the other wizards of the Pyrenean Alliance to invite them to join, considering it a means to restore the peace that was lost with the fall of Rome. He was renown for his transformational magics, and taught Bonisagus much about this magic. It is believed that the remnants of alchemy that remain in Hermetic theory were due to this magus.

- Merinita - to the Magi of the 8th century, a legend and a mystery. She traveled alone through the wilderness, a priestess of the earth mother, who was said to be in communion with the spirits of the wild. Trianoma spent a year trying to find her to invite her to help form the Order, and for reasons still unclear, she came out of the wilds to become a member of the Order and to train apprentices. After founding her House and seeing the Order into its first years of stability, however, she returned to her journeys through the wilds of this world.

- Trianoma - the driving force behind the formation of the Order, Trianoma was a superlative diplomat. She saw the potential in Bonisagus's magic when they first met some three decades before the founding, and though she was a wizard already, she became Bonisagus's student. She had the skill to fade into the background having convinced people that the matter under discussion was their idea in the first place. She was a good enough wizard to beat Tytalus, so her powers were by no means negligible.

- Tytalus - Tytalus was one of the reasons that the formation of a peaceful Order was appealing to other wizards. He was known as a hot-tempered wizard, prone to challenging other powerful wizards just for the sake of testing himself and learning from his victories (which were many) and defeats (which were few). Initially he spoke out against the Order, but Trianoma beat him in a magical duel, and he agreed to join; thenceforth he continually tested the bounds of the Code. Like Flambeau, he took pleasure in hunting down those that refused to join the Order, though he often let them live once they had acknowledged defeat. Tytalus's relationship with his apprentices set a tradition of 'beloved rivals', constantly involved in games and contests of power which made others believe that they hated one another.

- Verditius - An Byzantine Magus residing in Italy, and the last priest of the Cult of Vulcan. He was utterly incapable of casting spells, but as a creator of magical items, he has never been matched. He was eager to join the Order because it gave him certain protection from other Magi - he feared that he was unable to hold his own in magical battles and wanted to be part of an Order which would allow him to practice his craft in peace and safety. He worked long and hard with Bonisagus, sharing what he knew about crafting magical devices, but every time he became philosophical about the intangible, inexpressible part of magical creation, Bonisagus said that such talk was pointless. Though Bonisagus managed to capture the simplest and most direct instructions for making magical devices, he could never quantify the personal element that Verditius thought was so important, and makes members of this House so skilled.

Tremere was meant to have been present to sign the Concord. He and the Founder Tytalus shared the same teacher, a witch by the name of Guorna the Foetid. Tytalus, the elder and more powerful of the two, bound Tremere magically, thus preventing him from attending the Concord. Tytalus then graciously accepted Tremere into his new-forming House. Some saw the exclusion of Tremere as auspicious, 13 being a number of ill repute. Tremere, however, was determined to play the Judas to the other Houses, as that was the role that his big brother had forced upon him.

The Concord of Durenmar determined that there would be 12 Houses, each dedicated to the goals and interests of one of the Founders, and that Magi who wished to enter the Order should petition to join one of these Houses, and if accepted, swear the same oath that the Founders had.

Each House dwelt at its domus, which was usually the original home of its Founder. As the Founders came from all over Europe, this soon became impractical. Most magi set about their research after the Founding, and the only change was that some of them were willing to establish laboratories in the same locations and share both knowledge and resources. Because of the oath most magi took to work closely with those at the same location, these convocations of wizards came to be known as covenants, and the exchange of knowledge and the mutual protection afforded by the covenant structure made it quickly become the most common place of residence for members of the Order, although a substantial minority maintained their independence.

The Order quickly gained new members from Brittany to the Balkans and from the Ebro to the Elbe, growing from a couple of dozen to over two hundred in less than 100 years. As the size of the Order grew, there became an inevitable need for internal structure to maintain stability. The first institution to be founded was that of the Quaesitores. Guernicus had taken on the role of judge, making rulings on the Code, and he soon formulated the Periperal Code, which augmented the Code of Hermes in two ways. The first was a set of supplimentary rulings, that clarified the Code, or allowed new institutions (such as Certamen, in 810) to become part of the Code of Hermes. The second section was a set of precedents, how Quaesitores had ruled in previous times, as a guide upon which decisions could be made. The members of House Guernicus became famous for their neutral reputations and charged with keeping and speaking the laws of the Order. The Magi that shouldered this role were given the title of Quaesitores, and Magvillus, the home covenant of Guernicus, became a place at which the decisions of the Order would be kept and passed on to new Quaesitores. House Ex Quaesitores, as it became known, was always a relatively small House, and had access to many forgotten magics. They were granted by the Peripheral Code particular powers to assist them in the execution of their duties, primarily inviolability. Excerpt from the Peripheral Code:

"A member of House Guernicus that has been named quaesitor is subject to the Code of Hermes and the Peripheral Code of Hermes in the same manner as any Magus of the Order; however, punishment of a quaesitor can only be meted out by a Tribunal consisting only of other quaesitores, who must determine whether the actions of the accused quaesitor were contrary to the benefit of the Order."

"Refusal to comply with the wishes of a quaesitor is an offence against the Code of Hermes, resulting in the immediate declaration of a Wizard's March against the offender."

### 770AD / 909th Year of Pisces

Mercere lost his Gift in a magical accident in this year, nonetheless he vowed to support and assist the growing Order. The two apprentices he taught before losing the Gift carried on his magical tradition within the House, but Mercere continued to train apprentices, forming the Ordo Nuntii, commonly known as the Redcaps. These non-Gifted members of the Order were accorded all the rights of a Gifted Magus in 773AD - this was the first of the amendments to the Code of Hermes, later to be known as the Peripheral Code. The Redcaps, or nuntii (sing nuntius) were charged not only with delivering messages but also with compiling information. Their domus magna soon became a huge repository of information on the geography and history of both Europe and the Order.

The Ordo Nuntii and House Mercere are sometimes referred to collectively as House Ex Nuntii. The Gifted members of this House refer to themselves as 'scholae Mercandi', whereas the non-Gifted members recall Hermes' messenger aspect by terming themselves 'Magi Mercurialis'.

Also in this year, a wizard by the name of Erix came to Durenmar. He claimed to be the pupil of the great Carpandus, and brought with him a tome written by that wizard. Erix turned out to have very little magical ability, and had stolen the book from the corpse of the murdered Carpandus. Erix was the first Magus to be cast out from the Order, and was executed by Flambeau.

### 772AD / 911th Year of Pisces

Tremere, working in conjunction with Bonisagus and his newly-taken apprentice, develops the magical ritual of certamen.

### 773AD / 912th Year of Pisces

In 773AD it was decided that the internal structure of the Order could not rely solely on the covenants and mass gatherings of magi for long. The gatherings quickly became too large to conclude any business. Therefore, in this year, eight Tribunals were established. At tribunal meetings, grievances are resolved, the policies of the Order are established, and news and knowledge are shared. The oldest magus of the tribunal (called the praeco) presided over the meeting, which was held at that magus' home covenant or a location designated by him. The oldest Quaesitor of the tribunal was given the authoritative word on legal issues. Tribunal meetings are called in emergency situations, but are otherwise held once every three years. Europe was divided up in much the same way as Ancient Rome had, many centuries ago: Germania Magna (Rhine), Raetia (Greater Alps), Roma (Roman), Lugdunensis (Normandy), Aquitania (Burgundy), Narbonensis (Provençal), Sarmartica (Bohemia) and Carpathia (Transylvania); the vulgar names for these tribunals are given in parentheses. Though there were few inhabitants of these Tribunals at this time, it was foreseen that soon they would be needed. There must be at least one quaesitor and one nuntius per tribunal, later on this was expanded to include at least one scriba and one hoplite (see later).

Guernicus entered the following into the Peripheral Code: "The provisions in the Code of Hermes referring to the Tribunal apply equally to any other Tribunal that has the power over the Magus and that is presided over by a member of House Guernicus. A Tribunal must include twelve or more Magi from no less than four covenants."

"After completing his Wizard's Gauntlet to the satisfaction of his master, a new Magus must then be presented to the Tribunal by said master, whereupon he will swear to the Code of Hermes and from henceforth be considered to be a member of that Tribunal."

Every 13 years, a Grand Tribunal was to be held at Durenmar, to which every tribunal sends five representatives. At these meetings, rulings can be made which affect the entire Order. The Primus of House Bonisagus presides over the Grand Tribunal by tradition, although he cedes the presidency to a magus chosen by the first vote of the convocation, also by tradition. The Primus of Magvillus is the Quaesitor for the Grand Tribunal. The council of Primi, refered to as the Grand Council of the Order of Hermes, are the official participants of this Tribunal - the other Magi advise their leaders. At these Grand Tribunals, individual rulings could be entered as part of the Peripheral Code if the Grand Tribunal deemed that the precedent was of sufficient import to become a ruling of the Peripheral Code. The year that the original ruling was made is entered as the year in which the amendment to the Peripheral Code was made, and in rare situations, a Magus may be punished for something that was not an offence against the Code when the deed was committed.

### 780AD / 919th Year of Pisces

In this year, first official contact was made with the wizards of the Byzantine Empire, as Trianoma and Mercere travelled to Greece in search of recruits. Large numbers decided to swear the Oath of Hermes, mainly entering House Jerbiton. Amongst the most notable were Menecrates, a powerful healer, and Arteman, a wizard concerned with the roots of magic. To accomodate the large numbers of Greek Magi, the Tribunal of Illyria (Theban Tribunal) was set up. In addition, Sarmatica was renamed Sarmatica Europea, and the new tribunal of Sarmatica Asiatica (vulgarily referred to as "Novgorod") was added to the rolls, covering all of the lands north of the Baltic Sea and east of the Vistula / Prut rivers. These wild and untamed lands, vis-rich, held great appeal to the Magi of Eastern Europe.

Several Western Magi travelling to the Illyrian Tribunal met their deaths at the hands of a mightly Thessalonian witch called Empusa. Merinita warned Magi to stay away from her - the two had sparred in the past, before the foundation of the Order.

The first official Grand Tribunal was held in 780AD, 13 years after the Founding of the Order.

### 783AD / 922nd Year of Pisces

Quaertus Primus was Bonisagus's first real apprentice, taken by the Founder in 768AD, and thus had the distinction of being the first Magus ever to have been trained fully in the Hermetic Tradition. He was given the Hermetic name of Primus in recognition of this fact. His apprenticeship finished in this year. Bonisagus proceeded to train two other apprentices, but at this stage he was getting old and close to Twilight, and those two were never the equal of Primus. Primus was responsible for formulising the training of Hermetic apprentices and the institute of the Gauntlet, and his Hermetic descendents are considered in his House to be of the highest calibre.

### 804AD / 943th Year of Pisces

Quendalon, first primus of House Merinita, returns after five years in a faerie forest. Myanar, the current primus, refused to accept that this was indeed his friend Quendalon, but a faerie in disguise. A protracted political and magical battle ensued, with Quendalon on one side and Myanar on the other. Quendalon wanted to reassume the leadership of House Merinita and steer it towards study of the fay, whereas Myanar remained true to the teachings of Merinita and the study of Nature. The war was bitter, and many deaths occured on both sides. It ended a decade later with the defeat of Myanar's faction thanks to Quendalon receiving fae help. The remaining followers of Myanar's faction were accepted ito House Bjornaer in 814.

### 810AD / 949th Year of Pisces

The Ritual of Certamen was introduced to the Order, and the following was entered into the Peripheral Code: "Certamen is to be respected as a means of settling disputes decisively. In certamen, the challenger must first choose the technique to be used, and the defender must the choose the form of the challenge. Any Magus refusing to engage in certamen or refusing to abide by the results of the certamen is betraying the spirit of the Code and is to be punished. Those who refuse to accept certamen challenges, therefore, or refuse to abide by the decision of a certamen may suffer more violent coercion by the offended Magus and shall be punished by their Tribunal."

"No Magus who loses a certamen may challenge another Magus to certamen a second time unless the Magus to be challenged has challenged the first in the meantime."

### 815AD / 954th Year of Pisces

After the protracted battle within House Merinita ended, Guernicus called for a codification of the rules for Wizard's War, that is, battle fought between members of the Order. The following was added to the Peripheral Code: "No Wizard's War shall be declared unless one Magus notifies the other on the night of the full moon. On the rise of the next full moon, the Wizard's War shall commence, and it shall end at the rise of the full moon thereafter. Those who continue in the conflict after this time shall be considered rogue and shall have a Wizard's March declared agaist them at the next Tribunal."

## The Time of Troubles

### 817AD / 956th Year of Pisces

Early in the 8th Century, a wizard called Dav'nalleous threatened the stability of the Order. The Tytalus known as Pralix followed him to the British Isles, and with the assistance of native wizards (mainly of the sort called gruagachan), defeated him. She then declared herself and her followers to be separate from the Order, naming her bunch of hedge wizards "the Order of Miscellany". The more hot-headed Magi of the Order wanted to go to war against these upstarts, but Trianoma, still the Prima of her House, but now quite ancient, defused the situation by offering to disband her House, and offer the position of the Council of Primi to Pralix, thus forming a new House. House Trianoma was a small House anyway, her apprentices being more interested in politics than magic. The entire House agreed to this plan, and they nominally entered House Bonisagus (though some became Jerbitonis). Pralix's Order was thus given the status of a House within the Order of Hermes, which they was satisfied with.

House Ex Miscellanea was comprised mainly of Celtic Magi from Wales, Scotland, Ireland and Britain; thus 3 new tribunals were created, Britannia (a.k.a Stonehenge, after it's most famous landmark), Scotia (Loch Leglean, after Pralix's winter camp) and Hibernia (vulgarly, the Eireann Tribunal). Up to this point, covenants in the British Isles had been included in the Lugdunensian tribunal.

### 832AD / 971th Year of Pisces

Pralix died suddenly in 821AD, and an ancient gruagach named Brude assumed the leadership of House Ex Miscellanea. As the House appealed to many magical traditions who didn't want to be 'pigeon-holed' into a House by the Order, it quickly grew in size; non-Hermetics flocking to the newly formed House This caused friction between the separate traditions within the House. Brude in particular was blamed for favouritism towards the members of his own magical tradition, and magical warfare seemed a certainty.

Tremere went to Trianoma and proposed an alternative, which was brought to the Grand Tribunal of 832AD, that distinct magical traditions should have the right to be independent of the 12 Houses, instead of being forced to enter one of them. This was seen with great disapproval by most of the Houses, but Trianoma persevered, and the vote was passed by the narrowest of margins. Strict rules were imposed by the die-hards of the Order; most importantly that the Great Houses (those of the Founders, plus Ex Miscellanea) should always have more voting power in a tribunal than the new lineages; that the lineages would be made up of only those Magi who constituted a genuine magical tradition (descended from a single Magus, and having the same scholastic/magical interests); and lastly, at the insistence of the primus of Criamon, that there should be no more than 27 lineages, bringing the total number of traditions in the Order of Hermesto 39. These 'lesser houses' are given the Hermetic title of genera (sing. gens) to distinguish them from the Noble Houses ( genera maiores, sing genus maior, tr. as "greater lineage"). Any group of five or more Magi could apply to the Grand Council for the creation of a new lineage, as long as all of the above conditions were satisfied.

Tremere was the first Lineage to be formed, such was their desire to escape from the oppressive yoke of House Tytalus. Trianoma was the second Lineage, at the insistence of 10 of the 12 Noble Houses. The Third Lineage was House Brutus, as House Ex Miscellanea was eager to rid itself of its troublesome Primus. At this time, certain other Houses were formed, as lineages came out of the woodwork. Some of these foundered quickly, others persist to this day. They include:

- Brutus - Named after Brude, leader of the gruagach, the irony of the Latinised name (meaning "stupid, irrational") was lost on the non-Latin speakers of the group. The gruagach retreated to the Highlands of Scotland, and were barely heard of again, until 915AD, when the entire lineage was Renounced after Brude, still the leader a century after he joined the Order, killed a Magus Flambonis in a fit of rage at the Grand curses and shapechanging.
- Carpandus - the sorcerer Carpandus died in 766, thus he was not one of the Founders. Erix, a 'Magus' claiming to be his apprentice, was proven to be a fraud, however, the book he carried was written by Carpandus, and some Bonisagi took up studying wards and barriers. These then formed their own Lineage in this year.
- Myanar - The line of Myanar, second primus of House Merinita, was all but dead in 832AD, but five members remained and left House Bjornaer to form a Lineage. Naturally, they concentrate upon nature-related magics.
- Tremere - The line of Tremere had always been distinctly different from the other members of House Tytalus. Tremere himself was still active at this time (he eventually outlived all of the others present at the Concord of Durenmar). Tremere contributed the institution of certamen to the Order in 772AD, and was well known for his strict control over his apprentices. It was not until this Lineage was formed that the practice of witholding sigils was instituted. Tremere seemed to have a long-range plan, though few were sure what it was.
- Trianoma - there was virtually no contest as to the formation of this Lineage. All Magi had (at the very least) respect for Trianoma, through whose efforts the formation of the Order was made possible. Her line continued her task of acting as mediator and peacemaker to the Order, as well as facilitating the commnication between Houses.

### 848AD / 987th Year of Pisces

Tremere, the last living Founder, almost managed to completely dominate the Order through the use of Certamen, even though they were only a Lineage. The Quaesitors managed to wipe out nearly all of the details of this plan, as well as the memory of those that helped in the quashing of the old magus's plans.

### 849AD / 988th Year of Pisces

Following on from the Sundering of gens Tremere, the following ruling was added to the Peripheral Code: "No certamen shall force a Magus to give up his rights, nor force a Magus to break the Code of Hermes nor the Peripheral Code. The rights protected from certamen include the rights of a Praeco leading a Tribunal, the rights of a Primus ruling a House, and the rights of a Quaesitor protecting the Order."

### 937AD / 1076th Year of Pisces

The Duresca scrolls are discovered. They seem to have been written by Guernicus, and they set forth a plot to control the Order. Three years later they are officially ruled to be a fraud - by House Guernicus.

### 961AD / 1100th Year of Pisces

The trial and execution of Tasgilla, Primus of Tytalus, found to be guilty of diabolism. A purge of the House followed, resulting in a decimation of the House as it was found to be rife with the Dark Arts. This incident saw the Founding of 2 new Lineages, gens Ex Ultores (also known as gens Hoplites), created to purge the corruption, and gens Ecce Lux, founded by Tytali sworn to prevent such a thing occurring in the Order again. Some saw the near destruction of the House as revenge by Tremere for the treatment they received at the hands of House Tytalus when they were part of it, and others see it now as 'practice' for what House Tremere was to perpetrate next. If either of these rumours was true, it was unfortunate for Tremere, who died in 960AD, a year before his scheming came to fruition. Since the Corruption of House Tytalus, it became law that no member of this House (there was a handful of survivors) was allowed to run a covenant, or hold a position of responsibility in a Tribunal. They were excluded from the privacy clause of the Code of Hermes, allowing any Quaesitor to inspect their laboratories and studies at any time, without legal recourse. These restrictions are still in effect.

It fell upon the 'Hoplites' of gens Ex Ultores to ensure that the edicts of the Tribunal were carried out. They were granted certain plenary powers, primarily they were able to hand down summary punishment for High Crimes without the need of a Quaesitor. Some saw them as an attempt by the Quaesitors to dominate the Order, but there always pessimists and paranoids in large organisations.

### 975AD / 1114th Year of Pisces

At this time, changes were occurring in the eastern Mediterranean. The border warfare between the Moslems and the Byzantines started to turn in favour of the latter, and Emperor Nicephorus Phocas recovered naval supremacy, conquering Crete and Cyprus. It was suggested to the Grand Council of the Order that a new tribunal should be formed, covering the eastern half of the Byzantine Empire and the Holy Land. This new Tribunal was called the Syrian Tribunal (a.k.a. the Levantine tribunal), and the members of this tribunal subtly helped the reconquest of the Holy land over the next century or so.

### 997AD / 1136th Year of Pisces

"The sanctum of each Magus shall be marked with a circle inscribed within a square, with straight lines connecting the square's opposite corners. This marking shall be in plain view so that those entering the sanctum know that it is indeed a sanctum. A symbol representing the identity of the sanctum's owner shall accompany the sign."

### 1001AD / 1140th Year of Pisces

As the number of Magi in the Order had grown, so did the Peripheral Code. It became hard to ensure agreement between the quaesitores, who could be resident many hundreds of miles from the central Lore-House of Magvillus, especially now there were 14 tribunals. A Magus from gens Arteman by the name of Nicanaetus took on the role of training apprentices who would be responsible for recording the Law and disseminating it through the Order. In 975AD, House Nicanaetus had formed to preserve the history and integrity of the Order, and 1001AD, the protection of the Nicanaetean Magi (referred to as scriba, pl. scribae) became guaranteed throughout the Order. The Lineage became known as gens Ex Scribae, and they were made the official lore-keepers of the Order of Hermes, working closely with both Houses Mercere and Guernicus.

The line of Ouateis split of from House Diedne in 1001AD. As Ouateis was purported to be a seer of great renown, some read much into this event. Little did they realise exactly what this presaged.

## The Schism War

### 1004-1012AD / 1143rd-1151st Years of Pisces

At this time the Order had become very fractious. Since the corruption of Tytalus many Magi had become paranoid and withdrawn, and Wizard's Wars became frequent. This all came to a head in what is now known as the Schism War.

It started when the Tremere declared Wizard's War on House Diedne. That House was already unpopular, being largely true to its original magic. The Tremendi whipped Flambeau into a frenzy, and forged alliances with the remaining Tytali (who seem to have been forgiven by the followers of Tremere), creating a society called the Pican League (named after Mars, the Roman God of War, whose symbol was the woodpecker, in Latin picus). Presenting the Quaesitors with evidence (which may or may not have been real), they were given the go ahead to declare Wizard's War on the entire House. Each Magus of Diedne receiving a separate challenge from a Magus of one of the Three Houses. The War became a free-for-all, with many battles and skirmishes, as the tension that had been brewing in the Order was released. In 1008, when it looked like the Diednis were going to lose, House Guernicus declared the entirety of that House Renounced. The last of the druids were seen in 1012, and the War was considered over.

## The Time of Consolidation

### 1018AD / 1157th Year of Pisces

When the dust settled, Tremere used the lull and shock that the other Houses suffered to push their claim to the Seat of Diedne; being the oldest Hermetic Lineage in the Order that did not have a seat on the Grand Council (Trianoma excluded). Before the Order really knew what had happened, the vote was passed. Another vote was put forth to prevent this sort of thing happening again, setting the membership of the Great Houses in stone, but this was really an knee-jerk reaction.

Also in this year, a new tribunal was formed. The Christian states in Spain were starting to regain land from the Moors, and with them came the Magi of the Order, particularly those from Houses Flambeau and Proelius, strong houses from the bounty and honour they had gained in the Schism War. In particular, the first few conquests of Sancho the Great of Navarre put into motion the reconquista of the Iberian Peninsula. As Magi flooded into the reconquered territory, eager to claim the unspoiled lands, the Grand Council felt it prudent to create the tribunal of Hispania (also called the Iberian tribunal). The move was supported by Houses Criamon and the Lineage of Aesculaequum, who also joined the tribunal, but on the other side of the border.

### 1027AD / 1166th Year of Pisces

This year saw the canonisation of Nerius, a Magus of House Criamon who spoke out against the persecution of House Diedne. He was martyred in 1002AD, killed while trying to defend both his Christian beliefs, and those who would be killed in any ensuing war. Unfortunately, his sacrifice did not prevent the war, but it did facilitate its termination. Many Magi espoused the peaceful philosophy of Nerius, and it was his teachings of forgiveness that assisted in healing the Order after the war. As well as being a Magus, Nerius was also a saintly man, performing many acts impossible through Hermetic magic. His actions had come to the attention of the Church, and in the year that he was made a saint, a Lineage was created within the Order, composed of a group of Christian Magi who lived according to a Monastic Rule.

Also in this year, the most recent Tribunal was instituted. As the Pisans and Genoans started to drive the Moslems out of Sardinia and the North African Coast, Magi of the Moslem Houses of Criamon and Aesculaequum applied to the Grand Council for the creation of their own tribunal. The four covenants had a strong case for this creation, being separated from the nearest Tribunal by the Mediterranean, and being of sufficient size to justify the need of their own quaesitor. The Jerbitonis were keen to encourage the Tribunal to recognise the importance of the Moslem Houses in the Order, and with the support of their allies, the Tribunal was formed. It was called the Supragaetulian tribunal (Gaetula was the Roman name for Africa), but most call it the Carthagenian Tribunal.